Travelers at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport can say goodbye to the airport shoe shuffle.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is rolling out a new policy that will allow travelers to keep their shoes on at airport security checkpoints, according to Metropolitan Airports Commission chair Rick King.
King said he received word from TSA regarding the policy, which went into effect for all airports Monday morning.
For the first time in nearly two decades, passengers in general screening lines, not just those with TSA PreCheck, will be able to keep their shoes on at major airports across the country.
The change marks a major shift in policy since the TSA began requiring shoe removal in 2006, five years after “shoe bomber” Richard Reid’s failed attempt to detonate explosives hidden in his shoes on a transatlantic flight.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared to confirm the policy change in a Tuesday morning post on X, where she called it “big news” from the Department of Homeland Security. Gate Access, a travel newsletter written by former TSA agent Caleb Harmon-Marshall, first reported the shift.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem officially announced the change during a Tuesday afternoon news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
When asked about the differing equipment and capabilities of airports across the country, Noem said the DHS “evaluated the equipment that every airport has” and is confident that the shoe policy does not impact the security of travelers.
